In-refrigerator blower and refrigerator including the same

ABSTRACT

An in-refrigerator blower configured to drive cold air to refrigerator storage rooms with reduced vibration and reduced noise. The in-refrigerator blower includes a drive device, a drive device accommodation portion, and a support portion coupled to the drive device accommodation portion and configured to extend in a radial direction. A plurality of blades extend in a direction different from an extension direction of the support portion. Each of the blades has an entrance angle in the range of 39°-49°, an exit angle in the range of 29.5° to 34.5° in one example. The number of the blades is greater than seven and smaller than nine.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0053843, filed on May 2, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to refrigerators, and more particularly, to heat dissipation mechanisms in refrigerators.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator is an appliance used for storing food or other times at low temperature, e.g., in a frozen state or refrigerated. Typically the storage space in the refrigerator is divided into a refrigeration compartment and a freezer.

The interior of the refrigerator is cooled by cold air circulating therein. Cold air can be continuously generated by a heat exchanger as a refrigerant flows therein and recycles through compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation. Cold air supplied in the refrigerator is uniformly distributed by convection.

The heat exchanger can be installed at one side of the refrigerator separate from the storage spaces such as the refrigeration compartment and the freezer for storing food. For example, compression and condensation processes may be performed by a compressor and a condenser disposed within a machine room formed at the lower side of a rear surface of the refrigerator. The refrigerant in the evaporator can absorb heat from ambient air and thereby cool the ambient air to create cold air.

An in-refrigerator fan is usually used to drive cold air from the vicinity of the heat exchanger to the refrigerator storage rooms. Unfortunately, a conventionally in-refrigerator fan usually causes excessive vibration and noise during operation.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an in-refrigerator blower that can operate with reduced vibration noise.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an in-refrigerator blower includes structural improvements for reducing operational vibration and noise.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an in-refrigerator blower includes a drive device configured to generate a rotational force; a body including a drive device accommodation portion configured to accommodate the drive device and a support portion coupled to the drive device accommodation portion and configured to extend in a radial direction; and a plurality of blades coupled to the body and configured to extend in a direction differing from an extension direction of the support portion. Each of the blades has an entrance angle of 39° or more and 49° or less in one example.

Further, each of the blades has an exit angle of 29.5° or more and 34.5° or less in one example.

Further, the body and the drive device accommodation portion is formed in a circular shape, and a ratio of the diameter of the drive device accommodation portion to the diameter of the body is 0.45 or more and 0.65 or less in one example.

Further, the number of the blades is seven or more and nine or less.

Further, the in-refrigerator blower further comprises an auxiliary member disposed at a radial outer side of the blades. The blades are coupled to the body at one side and coupled to the auxiliary member at the other side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator including an exemplary in-refrigerator blower according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating the configuration of the refrigerator in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower of the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower illustrated in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.

One or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosure can be easily determined by those skilled in the art. As those skilled in the art will realize, the described exemplary embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

It is noted that the drawings are schematic and are not necessarily dimensionally illustrated. Relative sizes and proportions of parts in the drawings may be exaggerated or reduced in size, and a predetermined size is merely exemplary and not limiting. The same reference numerals designate the same structures, elements, or parts illustrated in two or more drawings in order to exhibit similar characteristics.

The exemplary drawings of the present disclosure illustrate ideal exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail. As a result, various modifications of the drawings are expected. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to a specific form of the illustrated region, and for example, include a modification of a form due to manufacturing.

The configuration of an exemplary in-refrigerator blower according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator including an exemplary in-refrigerator blower according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating the configuration of the refrigerator in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower of the refrigerator illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the configuration of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower illustrated in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the refrigerator 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a refrigerator storage room 10 and an in-refrigerator blower 20.

Furthermore, the refrigerator 1 may include a cooling system configured to generate and supply cold air into the refrigerator storage room 10. The cooling system may include, for example, an evaporator 30, a compressor 40 and a condenser 50. The in-refrigerator blower 20 may be configured to supply air cooled by the evaporator 30 to the refrigerator storage room 10.

Hereinafter, an exemplary process of generating cold air by the cooling system is described. A gaseous refrigerant at high temperature exchanges heat with ambient air through the evaporator 30 and then flows to the compressor 40 to be compressed. The compressed gaseous refrigerant dissipates heat while it passes through the condenser 50 and becomes a liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant passed through the condenser 50 flows back to the evaporator 30. The liquid refrigerant in the evaporator 30 is evaporated by absorbing heat from ambient air. Thus, in the evaporator 30, the liquid refrigerant receives heat from the ambient air and becomes a gaseous refrigerant. The gaseous refrigerant is separated from the liquid refrigerant and introduced into the compressor 40 again.

The in-refrigerator blower 20 can drive cold air originating from around the evaporator 30 to the refrigerator storage room 10. For example, a drive device 100 of the in-refrigerator blower 20 may be rotated in such a direction that cold air around the evaporator 30 flows toward the refrigerator storage room 10. Blades 300 of the in-refrigerator blower 20 are installed in a manner such that cold air around the evaporator 30 flows toward the refrigerator storage room 10. The in-refrigerator blower 20 may be disposed adjacent to the evaporator 30.

The in-refrigerator blower 20 may include a drive device 100, a body 200, a plurality of blades 300 and a housing 400.

The drive device 100 is configured to generate a rotational force for rotating the blades 300. The drive device 100 is supported by the housing 400. A rotating shaft 110 of the drive device 100 may extend toward the opposite side of the housing 400 and may be coupled to the body 200. The drive device 100 may be disposed within a drive device accommodation portion 210 and may be supported by the housing 400. The drive device 100 may be, for example, an electric motor having a rotating shaft but is not necessarily limited thereto. In addition, the drive device 100 may be configured so that the rotating shaft 110 thereof is rotated and the rotating shaft 110 is coupled to the body 200. Alternatively, the drive device 100 may be configured so that the rotor is rotated and the rotor is coupled to the body 200.

The body 200 may include a drive device accommodation portion 210 and a support portion 220. The drive device 100 may be disposed within the drive device accommodation portion 210. The drive device accommodation portion 210 may be coupled to the drive device 100 so that the drive device accommodation portion 210 can be rotated along with the rotation of the drive device 100. The drive device 100 and the drive device accommodation portion 210 can be coupled together in any suitable manner that is well known in the art. For example, the rotating shaft 110 of the drive device 100 may be coupled to the drive device accommodation portion 210. As an alternative example, the rotor of the drive device 100 may be coupled to the drive device accommodation portion 210. The drive device accommodation portion 210 may have a circular shape when viewed in an axial direction. The drive device accommodation portion 210 may be a recess depressed in a rotation axis direction. The recess may accommodate the drive device 100. Thus, the drive device accommodation portion 210 may cover the drive device 100. In other words, the drive device 100 may be covered by the housing 400 at one side and may be covered by the drive device accommodation portion 210 at the other side.

The drive device accommodation portion 210 may be integrally formed with the support portion 220. In this case, the drive device accommodation portion 210 may protrude from the support portion 220 toward one side in the axial direction. The term “axial direction” used herein refers to a direction (Z direction) along which the rotating shaft 110 of the drive device 100 extends. The term “one side in the axial direction” used herein refers to a direction (+Z direction) in which the rotating shaft 110 of the drive device 100 extends from the drive device 100 toward the drive device accommodation portion 210.

In the illustrated embodiment, the drive device accommodation portion 210 is integrally formed with the support portion 220. However, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the drive device accommodation portion 210 may be manufactured as a separate component from, and then integrated with, the support portion 220.

The support portion 220 is configured to support the blades 300. Inner end and outer end in the radial direction of the blades 300 is supported by the support portion 220. The support portion 220 may be a circle plate. The blades 300 may extend in a direction differing from the extension direction of the support portion 220. For example, the support portion 220 may extend in a radial direction (r direction) of the rotating shaft 110. The blades 300 may extend toward one side in the axial direction. The support portion 220 may be rotated by the drive device 100. The support portion 220 may include a disc-shaped member. The support portion 220 may be concentric with the drive device accommodation portion 210. In other words, the support portion 220 may rotate about the same axis as the drive device accommodation portion 210.

When viewed in the rotation axis direction, in one example, the width D1 of the drive device accommodation portion 210 may be about 0.55±0.1 times the width D2 of the support portion 220. In other words, the ratio of the width D1 of the drive device accommodation portion 210 to the width D2 of the support portion 220 may be in the range of 0.45 to 0.65 in one example. If the ratio of the width D1 of the drive device accommodation portion 210 to the width D2 of the support portion 220 is smaller than 0.45, significant noise may be generated. If the ratio of the width D1 of the drive device accommodation portion 210 to the width D2 of the support portion 220 is larger than 0.65, the air volume of the in-refrigerator blower 20 may be insufficient and the cooling may not be effectively performed.

In the embodiments that the drive device accommodation portion 210 and the support portion 220 both have a circular shape as illustrated in the drawings, the width D1 of the drive device accommodation portion 210 may equal to the diameter of the drive device accommodation portion 210. The width D2 of the support portion 220 may equal to the diameter of the support portion 220.

The blades 300 may be coupled to the support portion 220. Furthermore, the blades 300 may extend in a direction differing from the extension direction of the support portion 220. For example, the blades 300 may be extend in the rotation axis direction. The extension direction of the blades 300 may be substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the support portion 220. When viewed in the axial direction, each of the blades 300 may have a curvilinear shape.

For each of the blades 300, the entrance angle β1 may become larger than the exit angle β2. The term “entrance angle β1” used herein refers to an angle between an extension line extending outward from a radial outer end of each of the blades 300 and a tangential line of the radial outer end of each of the blades 300. The term “exit angle β2” used herein refers to an angle between an extension line extending outward from a radial inner end of each of the blades 300 and a tangential line of the radial inner end of each of the blades 300. In one embodiment, the entrance angle β1 may be about 44°±5°. In other words, the entrance angle β1 may be in the range of 39° to 49°. The exit angle β2 may be about 32°±2.5° in one example. In other words, the exit angle β2 may be in the range of 29.5° to 34.5°. If the entrance angle β1 or the exit angle β2 falls outside the aforementioned range, significant noise may be generated; furthermore, the air flow produced by the in-refrigerator blower 20 may be insufficient and therefore cooling of the refrigerator storage room may not be effective.

In one embodiment, the blades 300 may have seven to nine members. If the number of the blades 300 is smaller than seven, the air flow of the in-refrigerator blower 20 may be insufficient and therefore cooling of the refrigerator storage room may not be effective. If the number of the blades 300 is larger than nine, significant noise may be generated.

The blades 300 are coupled to an auxiliary member 310 at one side in the axial direction and may be coupled to the body 200 at the other side in the axial direction. In other words, the blades 300 may be disposed between the body 200 and the auxiliary member 310. The auxiliary member 310 may have a ring shape. Furthermore, the auxiliary member 310 may be coupled to the blades 300 at the radial outer side.

The housing 400 is configured to cover the body 200 and the blades 300. Furthermore, the housing 400 may support the drive device 100. The housing 400 may be configured to cover the body 200. For example, the blades 300 may be disposed at one side of the body 200 and the housing 400 may be disposed at the other side of the body 200. In other words, the housing 400 may be disposed at the opposite side of the blades 300.

The operations and effects of the exemplary in-refrigerator blower 20 are described as follows. If it is determined by a control unit of the refrigerator 1 that cold air needs to be supplied to the refrigerator storage room 10, the in-refrigerator blower 20 is activated. The in-refrigerator blower 20 drives cold air around the evaporator 30 toward the refrigerator storage room 10. The body 200 is rotated by the rotational force of the drive device 100 along with the blades 300. Thus, cold air around the evaporator 30 can be effectively supplied to the refrigerator storage room 10 as the in-refrigerator blower 20 rotates.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure may be implemented in various ways without changing the necessary features or the spirit of the present disclosure.

Therefore, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above are not limiting, but merely exemplary. The scope of the present disclosure is expressed by claims below, not the detailed description, and it should be construed that all changes and modifications achieved from the meanings and scope of claims and equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present disclosure do not limit the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure will be interpreted by the claims below, and it will be construed that all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto belong to the scope of the present disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An in-refrigerator blower comprising: a drive device configured to generate a rotational force; a body comprising: a drive device accommodation portion configured to accommodate the drive device; and a support portion coupled to the drive device accommodation portion and configured to extend in a radial direction; and blades coupled to the body and configured to extend in a direction different from an extension direction of the support portion, wherein each of the blades has an entrance angle substantially within a range of 39°-49°.
 2. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 1, wherein each of the blades has an exit angle substantially within a range of 29.5° to 34.5°.
 3. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 2, wherein the body and the drive device accommodation portion are both circular, and a ratio of a diameter of the drive device accommodation portion to a diameter of the body is within a range of substantially 0.45 to 0.65.
 4. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 3, wherein a number of the blades is greater than seven and smaller than nine.
 5. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 4 further comprising: an auxiliary member disposed at a radial outer side of the blades, wherein the blades are coupled to the body at a first side thereof and coupled to the auxiliary member at the second side thereof.
 6. An in-refrigerator blower comprising: a drive device configured to generate a rotational force; a body comprising a drive device accommodation portion configured to accommodate the drive device; blades coupled to the body and extending in a direction differing from an extension direction of the body; and a housing configured to accommodate the blades, wherein the body and the drive device accommodation portion are formed in a circular shape, and wherein further a ratio of a diameter of the drive device accommodation portion to a diameter of the body is substantially within a range of 0.45 to 0.65.
 7. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 6, wherein each of the blades has an entrance angle in a range of 39° to 49° substantially.
 8. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 6, wherein each of the blades has an exit angle substantially within a range of 29.5° to 34.5°.
 9. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 6, wherein a number of the blades is greater than seven and smaller than nine.
 10. The in-refrigerator blower of claim 6 further comprising: an auxiliary member disposed at a radial outer side of the blades, and wherein the blades are coupled to the body at a first side thereof and coupled to the auxiliary member at the second side thereof.
 11. A refrigerator comprising: an evaporator configured to cool air by absorbing heat with a refrigerant; a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant supplied from the evaporator; a condenser configured to liquefying at least a part of a compressed refrigerant; and an in-refrigerator blower configured to supply air cooled by the evaporator to a refrigerator room, wherein the in-refrigerator blower comprises: a drive device configured to generate a rotational force; a body comprising: a drive device accommodation portion configured to accommodate the drive device; and a support portion coupled to the drive device accommodation portion and configured to extend in a radial direction; and blades coupled to the body and configured to extend in a direction different from an extension direction of the support portion, wherein each of the blades has an entrance angle substantially within a range of 39°-49°.
 12. The refrigerator claim 11, wherein each of the blades has an exit angle substantially within a range of 29.5° to 34.5°.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 12, wherein the body and the drive device accommodation portion are both circular, and wherein a ratio of a diameter of the drive device accommodation portion to a diameter of the body is substantially within a range of 0.45 to 0.65.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 13, wherein a number of the blades is greater than seven and smaller than nine.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the in-refrigerator blower further comprises: an auxiliary member disposed at a radial outer side of the blades, wherein the blades are coupled to the body at a first side thereof and coupled to the auxiliary member at the second side thereof. 